The present invention generally relates to a non-impact recording apparatus for recording images on a recording medium by placing an ink ribbon containing an electroconductive thermo-transferable ink material over the recording medium and applying an image signal voltage to the ink ribbon through a recording electrode and a return electrode which are in contact with the surface of the ink ribbon, thereby softening the ink material in an image pattern by the heat generated within the ink ribbon by the application of the image signal voltage, and transferring the softened ink material to the recording medium. More particularly, it relates to a non-impact recording apparatus of the above-mentioned type, wherein the recording electrode and the return electrode are embedded in an electrically insulating support member, thereby forming a recording head with the recording electrode and the return electrode exposed and directed towards the surface of the ink ribbon, and with the improvement wherein the portion between the exposed recording electrode and the exposed return electrode is in the shape of a groove and out of contact with the surface of the ink ribbon, thereby preventing the adhesion of the electroconductive thermo-transferable ink material material released from the ink ribbon to the portion between those two electrodes of the recording head.
Conventionally, in a recording head of the above-described type, the portion with the recording electrode and the return electrode embedded in contact with the ink ribbon is flat. In this recording head, the electroconductive thermal-transferable ink material adheres to the flat portion of the recording head while in use, forming an electroconductive layer thereon. As a result, it occurs that more electric current flows through the electroconductive ink layer on the recording head (the shortest route between the electrodes) than through the ink ribbon, so that the quality of the non-impact recording is significantly degraded or in fact becomes impossible.